Saginaw Police Sgt. Craig Bell said, after a 5-hour search, said the father of the four children brought them to the Saginaw Police headquarters near downtown.

Police say the father was alerted that authorities were searching for the children thanks to media alerts posted on Facebook. The original MLive report about the missing children, after less than two hours online, earned 164 Facebook shares.

The mother of the four children — who authorities haven’t publicly identified — told police she was getting her vehicle fixed in Birch Park around 11 a.m. Sunday, May 5, when her three sons and one daughter playing outside went missing.

“It was a miscommunication,” Bell said, not providing more details about why the mother didn’t know the children’s father had them.

Bell said he didn’t anticipate anyone would face charges regarding the matter.

Authorities were interviewing both parents and children at the police station.

The mother was waiting in a Birch Park security office when officers told her the children were found after 4:30 p.m.

“It’s too late; they’ve been gone too long,” the mother said, crying, before she was told the children were found. She hugged news reporters after receiving the news.